


PROTOCOL

by Stephicness



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Android AU, Androids, Dramedy, F/M, Gen, M/M, Reader-Insert, Romance, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2017-11-19
Packaged: 2018-10-29 14:49:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10856229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stephicness/pseuds/Stephicness
Summary: First, you were just trying to settle into a proper life on your own. Then, you have a giant hulking android fly through your window begging for death. Too bad for him though -- you were an mechanic. You could make him work again! Well, work maybe, but probably not with with you...





	1. By Any Other Name

**Author's Note:**

  * For [leiden_potato](https://archiveofourown.org/users/leiden_potato/gifts).



> Inspired by leiden_potato's Android Companion AU headcanons on Tumblr (AKA chocobro-hijinks). You should go check them out! c: This was super fun to write for, and I can't way to keep going with this.  
> It'll get into some NSFW bits later on, I'm sure. But for now, exposition, drama, comedy, and the whole shebang!  
> Hope you enjoy reading!

“You know… I should probably do something about that.” You couldn’t help but sort of stand there in your place next to the blond-haired maintenance android. For only living in this house for about a year, you definitely had your own series of accidents within the house. You dropped a glass at one point on the hard-wood floor in the kitchen, resulting in some scuffs on the floor. The painting you had on the wall had fallen and took out a tiny chunk of plaster from your wall – easy to cover up with said fallen painting, now crooked. You broke the house curtain at one point when your Aurum model maintenance droid, Cindy, decided that her newfound revelation on how to make your car safer to drive was much more important than giving you the time to, you know, shower. Little accidents here and there.

But there were also some _big_ accidents, particularly in the black stain that appeared as if it was the silhouette of a man. Just sort of sprawled over your light grey carpet and consuming it with remnants of oil and transmission fluids. At least, that’s what Cindy had told you it was. It smelt sort of odd, so you wouldn’t have been surprised if some old juice or something had gotten into the mix of it all. People had a knack for spilling things in this house, after all. You shifted your gaze aside. Yup… People _sure_ did…

“I heard milk gets out a lot of stains. Do you think it’ll work for oil too, Cindy?”

Cindy shook her head in response. “My software tells me how to change oil in cars though. Maybe we can change the oil in the carpet.”

“No… That won’t do me much…” You let out a sigh, putting your hands on her hips as you hung your head to the right. “I’ll just have to save up and order new carpet or something… Or maybe I can put a rug over it. Order a fancy rug and stuff. A floor mat…” You glanced over at Cindy, who seemed to eye at you with her glowing green gaze. That kind of look only meant one thing. You let out a sigh and shrugged. “If it’s a rug I can put decals on, I will.”

You heard a happy chime come from her before you flicked your wrist at her and directed her on her way to the garage so she could resume her work. Her and her decals…

You hummed to yourself before you turned around and eyed the kitchen. Speaking of things that leave behind body-shaped oil prints, the one thing that you knew did such a thing was currently in the there. At least, you hoped he still was. The strange thing about adopting another droid like this one was that, unlike Cindy, you had a challenging time figuring out how to trigger his protocols properly. It seemed that all his commands were based upon how he reacted to things. Not so much of you telling him what to do. Highly-independent, which was great, since you often found yourself busy with a good majority of things in your own life than to take care of another android. Repairing the Aeternia build android was already hard enough as it was – especially since you lost days of sleep and a brutal amount of money that you could be making working on tech repairs and doing support like you have been… Well, actually, it was more of Cindy pushing you out of the way to do it and then you taking credit since you keep your Aurum model from overworking itself. Somehow…

But this RAV N0X model was intriguing, to say the least. You and Cindy did some research on the android model, and apparently there were two builds of it: the Fleuret build and the Aeternia build. Cindy told you that the Fleuret model is used as mostly a record-keeper. In the same like as the LUNA N0X Prototypes, the RAV N0X was supposed to be a mediator model that most political officials could use as a type of personal bodyguard and personal assistant. But it wasn’t until the Aeternia build that he was revamped into a type of war machine. He was skilled in combat tactics of all types – supposedly infused with a blade of his own with his arm. Too bad you weren’t able to see it in person, for the RAV’s system performed an automatic shut-up, nearly electrocuting you and nearly frying Cindy’s system after she tried to pull you away from him.

There was one person who managed to record footage of an Aeternia model during a combat demonstration of the build’s features. But the video end in was the model malfunctioning, beginning to lash out and nearly killing the CEO of Lucis Enterprises. It wasn’t until it began to find itself being threatened than it attempted to trigger its Ring command, ultimately resulting in its form combusting into flames due to malfunctions. It was scary, and apparently, most of the Aeternia models were discontinued and extremely rare after that.

Strange to know that you had one of these ‘aggressive’ models standing in your kitchen with a scowl directed at your toaster. You raised your eyebrow at him, stepping closer to him to look around the pillar of a being at the bright red toaster on the countertop.

“Uh… Is it toasting anything for you?”

You jolted when you noticed him suddenly snap his gaze onto you. His body didn’t move at all. Just his head, almost as if his entire head would have been thrown off his body with how fast he moved. If you weren’t alert from that gesture alone, the fact that your toaster, microwave, and fridge began to glitch out proved that the android certainly was. The toaster gave an awful buzzing noise that caused your ears to ring, the microwave beeped aggressively as if all of its buttons were being hit at once, and your fridge began to vomit out ice without you even touching it. It wasn’t until you held your hands up, showing the fact that you were disarmed that the android dropped his aggressive gaze, expression softening only for a moment before twisting into a frown before he looked forward again. At least he knew that hands up meant that you wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.

“I am sorry.” You noticed his eyebrows furrowing, as if pained to apologize to begin with. “I am still not familiar with the sound of your voice.”

“Even after I kept shouting for you to shut down when we first met?” He grew quiet, a silence showing just how bothered the android was by your statement. For a military build, he sure was sensitive. “Sorry… If you want, we can definitely talk more and, you know, make you more used to hearing me?”

“Why?” He turned towards you once again. “Idle conversation is unnecessary in order to active my defensive grid.”

“It’s a bonding thing, you know? Like…” You had to pause for a moment as you thought, putting your hands on your sides as you rested against the countertops to think. “You know how you have a voice recognition software that triggers your command network, right?” He gives a small nod in response. “Well, usually it registers it as a command from someone with access to your interface. But I don’t really have access to it, so I’ll improvise.” You grinned up at the android, who merely furrowed his eyebrows at you in return. “The more you hear my voice, the more you’ll recognize that it’s me! That way, whenever I do need you for something, then you can just recognize my voice and come running if you need to.”

It started to make more sense to the RAV N0X model, and you knew that he was processing the information with the way his eyes glinted with a blue sheen and the fact that he was nodding at your words. He looked so focused on making sure the information stayed intact in his data bank that you couldn’t up but grin wider. Cute the way he pressed his lips tighter when he processed the newfound information given to him. The programmers did a lot to make him look so realistic – probably to better infiltrate areas as a military robot. He closes his eyes for a moment, sealing the information into his databank before he looked back down at you. The glow in his eyes were gone and replaced with a more relaxed expression. “I will accept your voice recognition technique. It seems as if it would be the most beneficial to aid in my efforts to protect you.

You hummed and crossed your arms over your chest as you pursed your lips together. “To be honest…? I don’t really need someone protecting me. Unless they’re making sure I eat… And that I don’t drop another box of parts on my foot. I _could_ use someone to talk to though. Cindy’s no fun when she gets busy working. Likes to talk to herself more than she likes talking to me.”

“I can see why she does not enjoy talking with you.”

You felt your smile falter a bit as you stared at him. Did he just call you boring to talk to…? _Rude._ For a military-grade android, he sure had a lot of snark with him. Before you could open your mouth to scold him for the comment, he had turned on his heel and begun to walk away. You blinked in response and followed him. “Hey! Where are you going?” You stopped in the living room as you watched him move over towards the window. He sort of just… Stood there, causing you to stare at him for a good moment before you shuffled over to his side. “Uh… You okay?”

“Yes.”

“…Was there something outside that seemed interesting?”

“No. I am merely residing here for the best vantage point to survey the area.” He turned his head down to look at you, like a watchtower whose spotlight had just located a fugitive. “You claim that you wished to talk to someone. Thus, I shall listen as I make sure your home is secure.”

You stared at him for a good long moment, your eyes squinting at him before you pointed over your shoulder to the couch. “You could sit, you know. Like, there isn’t going to be anyone running through my window any time soon. Unless it’s you, that is.” You chuckled at your own joke, but it soon died out at the unamused gaze that fixated itself on you. Right… He didn’t really have a joke code in him. Or a laugh track either. You clicked your tongue and grit your teeth in a forced smile. “Or you could just stand there. Whatever you want to do.”

“Would you prefer it if I sat on the couch?”

“Would _you_ prefer to sit?” He seemed taken aback, eyes flashing the slightest bit in reaction to your counter question. His lips began to press together, twisted a bit into a frown as he had to turn away from you. You tilted his head. Was he that bothered by the question? You snuck around the Aeternia prototype, trying to catch his gaze again. “Well? I said you could do whatever you want to, so you’re more than welcome to sit and make yourself comfortable.”

He still avoided your gaze, but you were persistent and kept moving yourself to wherever he had turned his head. “I will do as you command me.”

“I’m not going to command you. I don’t have the authorization to do that, so you can pick.”

“That is not in my programming-“

“But you can still make snarky comments about how boring I am to talk to without me telling you.” Again, his eyes widened before he looked down at you, hands on your hips as you smirked at him. Ha! You got him there. He frowned down at you, turning his head before he reluctantly pulled himself from his place by the window and flopped down onto the couch, posture erect – almost as if he was _extremely_ uncomfortable about either sitting on the couch or having to command himself to do such. Probably both. But you gave a fist pump to yourself in victory before you walked over and sat down on the opposite end of the couch from him, legs pulled up and crossing over each other as you grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. “See? Sitting on the couch isn’t so bad!”

“Am I sitting incorrectly…?” You glanced over to the android as you stared at your legs. You were wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, so having him stare at your legs so intensely was… Well, that was _really_ uncomfortable. You looked down at your legs then back at the android again. Before you could reach out and swat his gaze away, you noticed that he began to adjust himself. The worn-out couch squeaked a bit as he began to pull his heavy-plated legs up onto the couch, crossing them in the same manner you did and attempting to imitate the same slouched posture you had. It wasn’t successful since he looked stiff and rigid, but his glowing eyes still recorded the position for further reference. “Humans are quite flexible if they can retain this position for extended periods of time.”

“It’s easier when your legs aren’t plated with armor too.” You grinned over at the awkward android before you leaned back and turned towards the TV to relax.

Man… This was the first time in a while since you’ve actually had the chance to rest. You spent the past month or so trying to reassemble what had been missing from the RAV N0X prototype, and it was a month of tedious work and neglect of your freelance business’s activities. Cindy’s been enthusiastic about taking over some of the jobs and tasks while you had dedicated your time in repairing the android, but you felt as if you could be doing more right now. But once Cindy starts a job, she refuses to leave it unfinished. And with her having taken all the jobs for a while… Well, the most that you could do was sit on the couch with the prototype android as you stared at the G.Ladio advertisements that constantly flooded the television screen.

“Are they marketing humans in mass quantities?” The android’s curious tone got you to look over at him, watching and taking note of how fixated he was at the TV screen with how bright his eyes glowed. “This… Is another Android model?”

“Yeah. It’s the Sweet Line of the G.Ladio’s.”

“They do not appear combat ready. Why is that one not properly fitted with ballistic resistant armor?”

“That’s because they aren’t meant for combat. They’re companion bots.”

“As in rehabilitation?”

“Uh… Not exactly.” You had to squint a bit at the TV screen, imagines of the G.Ladio androids having blissful and intimate moments with the actresses on the commercial. How was the RAV N0X not comprehending the fact that holding hands doesn’t mean that they’re about ready to fight? Did he really not understand that there were other androids mean for companionship and to cure loneliness? You looked back at the android, who seemed more concentrated and befuddled than before. “You okay there…?”

“They… Are meant for recreation?”

“Well, not just that. To help cure loneliness, you know? Like, if you don’t have someone who loves you and wants to be with you all the time, then you get a G.Ladio to keep you company and make you feel wanted and loved.” You shrugged a bit at the thought of it. You’ve spent a long time by yourself until you had the Aurum model – had Cindy – gifted to you after you started your business last year. But even then, Cindy was mostly just there to help you with your work, occasionally meandering from the garage and into the house to give you reports and stick a few decals to the fridge. Beyond that, it was just you.

“Would you wish for a companion such as the G.Ladio model…?”

A hum came from you as you tilted your head. You had thought once before about getting a G.Ladio, but the idea of having something programmed to like you was really strange to you. If anything, that would only make you feel lonelier, knowing you had to program something to show you how much someone cared about you. You’d rather feel lonely on your own than to feel lonely around other people. That, and after having serviced a good number of G.Ladio models sent to your shop, you would much rather not have to deal with anything with _that_ intense of an activity level. Just five minutes of that until Cindy had to wrestle the beast from you was enough to make you wish that vibrating attachments would never be pushed anywhere they shouldn’t be ever again. You rubbed your cheek as your eye twitched a bit. That thing gave you a black-eye for a month that you’d never forget. Asshole android…

You ended up letting out a sigh and as you shook your head. “No. It’s not my kind of thing. It’s kinda like having a prisoner, you know? I’d rather have someone stay because they _want_ to stay. Not because they have to.”

“What about Aurum Model C1DN33? Does she stay because she wishes to?”

“I don’t know. If she doesn’t want to stay, I don’t blame her though, to be honest. She’s welcome to come and go if she wants. I don’t want to stop her. Or you either.” The two of you grew quiet, the TV more of a faint mumbling as you felt your mind wander a bit. Yeah… It’s nicer to be alone for now and just wait for someone who wanted to stay. Cindy was nice, but if she was going to develop the sentience to one day want to use her programs and skills elsewhere, she was free to make the choice. At least, you hoped Cindy knew that, despite her running on a Virtual Intelligence network. Just as you hoped that the RAV N0X did too. You did your part to help repair him, so he was more than welcome to go find his owner once again as his return command would dictate.

And yet, you found yourself with a cold hand gently brushing over the top of your knuckles. You looked down at your hand, the metal mechanical arm had reached out and gently begin to lock its digits between your fingers to lace them together. You found yourself blinking in surprise as you looked up. The android had moved closer to you, taking your hand into his own as his soft expression peered into your own confused one. And wow… He was really close to you. You could see the detailed texture in the silicon flesh allied to his exterior, as if he had tiny pore, freckles slashed over his skin, and the softest heterochromatic gaze that locked onto yours. Your cheeks reddened at the sight, but you were unable to look away from him. _Wow…_

It was as if he was unable to process his voice to communicate for a moment, words glitching slightly before he spoke quietly to you. “I will stay at your side, just as I have sworn to you. The recorded 1008 hours of repair is not forgotten, and I will attempt to keep it in my mind to reciprocate my gratitude.”

“But… Is that what you want to do?”

The prototype gave a small nod, adjusting your hands to where your fingers locked together, palm to metal palm. “I suppose it is. I will command myself to protect and serve you, my liege.”

You pursed your lips for a moment and shook your head. “No… Don’t call me ‘my liege.’ That sounds really weird. Just call me by my first name or something.” He gave a firm nod in response, eyes flashing blue to lock in the information. Though that did bring up an interesting question… You had given Cindy her name because of her model and functioning, but the RAV N0X Aeternia was such a complicated machine that having to call it that over and over again would really be a mouthful. “Is there something that I get to call you? Something that you like or are really responsive to?”

“Information and encrypted files stored in my databank suggest that there is a directive command that proves to be 99.342% effective in activating my reaction protocol and command list. A ‘name’ as you might refer to it as.” He was quiet for a good long moment, his grip growing a bit tighter as if bothered by the question again. But soon, his grip loosened before his head slowly moved up and down in a nod. You could have sworn his eyes flashed again. But unlike its usual blue flash, both eyes had glowed violet. A blink of an eye though before they reverted to their heterochromatic colors. Perhaps it was just an illusion or something... “This ‘name’ will only be affective to my commands if you are the one calling me by it.”

“Wait, so you’re overriding your system and giving me admin access?” Perhaps that wasn’t the words he’d use so simply, but he gave a nod. You sat up a bit, hand still laced with his as he adjusted yourself and faced him on the couch. “Okay then. Tell me: what’s your name?”

The surreal violet glow in the android’s eyes before was not as surreal as when he turned his gaze towards you again, leaning closer as he tucked a bit of your hair behind your ear and whispered quietly into your ear. You found your cheeks flaring up even more, body tensing a bit as you could hear the digitized voice whisper by your ear. A name simple and blissful, and one that made your heart skip a beat from just the way the android had said it.

 _“Ravus.”_ You looked at the android as he pulled his face away from yours to consider your eyes once again. “My name… Is _Ravus.”_

You slowly began to nod, your smile growing bigger as your mind repeated the name over and over again. “A pleasure to properly me you then, Ravus.”

Ravus’s eyes lit up with a soft blue glow, lips gently curling at the corner as he nodded back to you in return. “And a pleasure to serve you as well.”


	2. Apology Requested

Ringing, knocking, a chipper ‘Yoo-hoo!’ in the late morning were among the many distractions you usually blocked out of your hearing when you were focused on your repairs. As the schedule dictated, from 8 AM to about noon, you would dedicate yourself solely to doing repairs on the androids you were commissioned to repair. Noon until 1 PM was lunch, and then you were back doing repairs or mods until one of your nightly primetime dramas started.

Today was The Cor Aegis, which was one with a Cor-X model repurposed for the sci-fi action show. You had to find out if the evil prince Loqi was going to exact his revenge on the hero or rejecting his proposal to be his wife! Odd show, but you liked it.

Even so, work had to come first. Even if you just wanted to binge watch the show in your underwear again as you waited for the next episode. No amount of knocking, ringing, shouting, or greetings could disrupt you. Especially when this Roomba wasn’t going to fix itself!

You reached over with your foot, pushing open the door from the garage entrance with it and shouting into the house as loud as you could. “RAVUS, GET THE DOOR!” You caught the door again with your foot and gently shut it as you focused again.

“Ya know, it’s been real nice havin’ Rae around here with us.” Cindy held up the mechanical arm she was working on, sticking her fingers into the connection port with her eyes flickering slightly. From just the small shock she gave it, the arm began to twitch its fingers, provoking a loud ‘Aha!’ from her. “Been nice not ta be able to focus.”

“Mhm… Could use more focus though…” You carefully pulled some of the wires from the small vacuum device. You just had to make sure that the wires got back into place, and the device should be able to move again. Just some wires that got jumbled up when your client’s dog decided that it was a giant frisbee… That didn’t fly in the air. You just sort of assumed that the dog wasn’t the smartest creature in the world, unfortunately. “Just let me stick these back in, and you’ll be able to walk again, little guy.”

With your small set of pliers, you pulled the wire aside, looking for where to reconnect it. And when you found the place, you moved the wire to connect it slowly…  _Carefully…_

And SLAM!

You jolted from the loud noise, arms shooting up as reflect and the wire you wanted to connect pulling itself out with you. You stared at the wire for a split second before you heard the little device beginning to beep rapidly. Just before you could look down at it, the device bolted forward and into your torso before it clattered to the floor. “Son of a-!” You coughed a bit in pain before you looked down at the stupid Roomba on the floor. Well… It was moving along like it hadn’t been damaged to begin with. Just scooting along as if brand new. Your eyes narrowed at the little thing. This was the thanks that you got for trying to fix it?  _Asshole._

“What the heck was that?” You looked over to Cindy, who seemed more fascinated by the arm that she was tampering with than the noise you had heard. You let out a sigh, shaking your head in response. Well, at least she can get some more work done while you got investigate. Tossing your pliers onto your desk, you pushed your safety glasses up into your hair and went inside the house.

Needless to say, the man you asked to check on the door was standing there by the window nearby the front door. The way he stood there, eyes narrowed as if glaring at something intense was outside. He honestly reminded you of a cat with how often Ravus was perched at the window. If you gave him a pedestal to perch on, he probably would use it, you were sure. You squinted at the window for a moment before you cleared your throat.

No movement or response from Ravus.

Of course… When he was focused he didn’t answer you either. You seemed to have a knack for attracting androids who like to ignore you.

“Ravus?” The silver-haired man’s eyes shot over to you. Always with such an intense stare, it gave you the shivers every time. But it was always calmed down with how his expression softened whenever he noticed it was you. Well, at least he was getting used to seeing you. And getting used to not roasting your microwave. So seeing how he calmed himself, you smiled at him, even if you were shrouding a bit of annoyance from having been interrupted by work. “Was there someone at the door?”

“Yes, but I have rid them from your presence.”

You blinked rapidly and tilted your head at him. “I’m sorry, you did  _what?”_

Ravus tilted his head at you in return. “I simply took the most appropriate course of action to combat a potentially threatening scenario. With how aggressive your neighbor was trying to assault your door, I assumed that something was wrong and would endanger you as a result.”

“Yeah, but why?”

“To ensure your safety and well-being. I simple said that should they continue their persistence in knocking, I will not hesitate to eliminate them on sight as a means of self-defense.”

“So then you slammed the door on them?”

“Correction: I told him that they were being a nuance. And then I slammed the door on them.”

“What?! Ravus, no!”

You had to rub your temples in frustration. Such conversations like these seemed to be more of a daily occurrence the longer you had the RAV-N0X prototype residing with you. As far as you can tell, it wasn’t even an official month since you repaired him, and already he seemed to be making things rather antagonistic for you in your household. From constantly replacing kitchen appliances to training the android just how to be  _civil_  of all things, it was like taking care of a dog. An overly-protective dog with a knack for making things worse than they already are.

You could deal with replacing toasters and all (especially with the discounts you get after helping to fix-up the SOPH-E Air android that usually helps run the appliance store). But you couldn’t necessarily deal with not even being able to brush your teeth without your android roommate doing something over-the-top to ‘ensure your safety and well-being.’ Your neighbor hardly deserved that. At least, you hoped they didn’t… Ravus hardly did anything to help you and your sudden paranoia about people that come to ring your doorbell.

You let out a heavy sigh. “I’m going to have to chase them down now… Did they at least say why they were here?”

“It was something along the lines of needing an audience with you about an important matter.”

“Then you should have let them in!”

“Not without verifying an appointment with me.”

“I’m pretty sure they don’t even know you’re living here!”

“Contrary, my visual recordings note that they assumed that I am an attendant of your home, referring to me as, quote: ‘Like, a boyfriend or something.’”

You were taken aback and caught off guard. Really? How could they not tell that Ravus wasn’t a human? He had a metallic purple arm for goodness sakes! But you let out a deep breath to calm down the annoyance, cheeks reddening a bit as you glanced aside. Cute though that they thought Ravus was your boyfriend. If he was human, you would  _kill_  to date someone that handsome.

“Upon further analysis of your neighbor, however, I have come to the assumption that they are – according to Urban Dictionary – a gossipy bitch.”

And this… Was probably why you  _wouldn’t_ want to date a guy like Ravus if a human version of him existed… He said some rude things. You shook your head out and moved past the android with a huff. “Gossipy bitch or not, my neighbors could also be potential clients, you know. And at this rate, I kind of need them if I wanna keep living here.” You stuffed your feet into your boots, stomping yourself into them while you took your jacket up from the wall. You opened up the front door, staring at the towering android as you gestured with your arm. “Well? Let’s go.”

“Why would I need to accompany you? As you mentioned before, your neighbors supposedly do not know I reside here.”

“You made it your point that they do know. Besides, you need to apologize to them.”

“I do not see a reason to when I was merely following protocol.”

“Well, I do! Humans don’t give people death threats for knocking on doors.”

“The knock itself was approximately 3.2 times more forceful than it should have been, indicating urgency or violence within it.”

“Well, I’ll never know if they were being violent or urgent now that you sent them away.” You let out a sigh of exasperation, clearly not getting anywhere with Ravus. You shook your head before you turned back towards the door. “You can’t predict everything bad that’s gonna happen, you know. I could get attacked as soon as I leave the house, and you wouldn’t be able to stop it.”

You were barely able to finish your thought before Ravus quickly stepped up to you, the violet replacement arm of his quickly shooting out to block you from the doorway as he stood in front of you protectively. His eyes flashed with a brief violet before fading out – just as the light on your porch surged bright then shattered itself. You jolted in surprise, instinctively gripping onto Ravus’s arm before you groaned and pushed it away. “Ravus, what the hell?!”

“If your neighbor is truly a threat, then your life may be in danger.”

“If anything, you’re going to end up scaring me to death before anything dangerous happens to me!”

“Actually, in a statistical sense-“

“It’s a figure of speech, Ravus.” At this rate, Ravus would keep you from even so much leaving the house to get your mail. And with how urgent your neighbor sounded, you had to do  _something_  to get the android to budge. Even using his name command, it was still spotty about whether he listened to you or not. It made you begin to wonder if his virtual intelligence was acting up or he was just installed with a really opinionated one. You’d have to do research on it later.

You pressed your lips together in thought. Research can come later. What mattered now was getting Ravus to move so you can see your neighbor. So you thought for a moment, a longer moment, and an even longer one before you realized that,  _holy Astral hell. Ravus was not budging._ Even amongst the awkward silence, he just stood there, still like a barricade as you stood behind him. Really? Was there really something out there that was that dangerous? No. The most danger that you’ve had in your neighborhood was when Ravus came barreling through your window. You couldn’t help but turn around and eye the tacky green rug the covered-up the remains of black in your carpet. Yup… That was the only dangerous thing.

But you’ve had enough of this. You’d leave the house one way or another, and you’d make Ravus to apologize to your neighbor one way or another. You reached out, placing your hand on top of Ravus’s arm to get his attention. As expected, his mismatched eyes locked themselves onto you as you stared back at him. You wouldn’t take no for an answer as you began to take his hand into your own and firmly grasp it. He looked down at it, attempting to shake his hand free, but you still held on. “No. You’re going to apologize to my neighbor, whether you want to or not. That’s an order from me. Do I make myself clear,  _Ravus?”_

This seemed to trigger something in Ravus, his eyes both flashing with a blue color as his furrowed eyebrows eased and his expression softened. It seemed that triggered his command code. You just had to be adamant with him, it seemed. But even after he registered the command, his expression turned into a grumpy frown before he turned his head away. “Understood…” He didn’t make much of an effort to fight off your hold anymore, perhaps worried about whether he would harm you as a result, but you still took what little victories you could get as you began to lead him out of your house and across the street to your neighbor’s house.

* * *

Your neighbor’s home was much nicer looking in comparison to your own, but perhaps it was because the lawn was neatly trimmed, rose bushes around the walkway gave the house a lot of life, and… Well, there wasn’t a sheet covering their window as you  _still_  tried to find someone to replace your window. It seemed proper, especially for someone living alone. It made you a little envious, considering that you couldn’t get Cindy to do the yardwork even if it was the only function her VI understood. She would much rather take apart the lawnmower rather than use it.

Maybe you can command Ravus to fix the yard. You made a mental note of that for later.

But once you got up to the front door, you let go of Ravus’s hand, looking up at him as you fixed up the sad excuse for clothing you had put him in. The old man in the house behind you was nice enough to lend you some of his old clothing from his ‘young and wild days’ to give to Ravus, but they definitely weren’t Ravus’s style. You were pretty sure floral dress shirts and brightly colored bell-bottoms weren’t even in style anymore, but they were something other than the torn-up white thing that Ravus was found in. You’d have to make a note to find him better clothes. If you could leave the house for more than five minutes without something going wrong, that is.

“Okay, so remember to be nice. You don’t have to smile when you apologize, but at least try to be sincere.”

Eyebrows furrowed in response. “How does one be sincere? Sincerity implies as if I have the capacity of caring about an apology.”

_“Ravus.”_

He let out a sigh in response, eyes flashing blue for a split second before he nodded. “I understand. I have conducted research, and will attempt to be ‘sincere.’”

“Thank you, Ravus. It won’t take us that long. Promise.” You pat down his collar before you rang the doorbell, stepping back next to Ravus, eying him from your peripheral vision just in case he tried to make a break for it.

You could hear a small bit of commotion from the other side of the door. Noises that seemed muffled, but audible enough to be heard as ‘A visitor! Gotta get the door!’ Exuberant in their greetings, from the sounds of it. The door jimmied itself a bit before it swung open and a bright smile greeted you. Blond-hair curled up and spiked like waves of gold that made you jealous of how healthy it looked, blue eyes staring at the two of you in awe and excitement, freckles that sparkled just like the young man’s eyes… There was something quite captivating about the young man than opened the door.

“Visitors! Welcome!”

Wait a second…

You opened your mouth to respond, but Ravus stepped forward already. “There is something that I must do before you welcome us.” He was a behemoth in comparison to the blond in the doorway, but not for long as he knelt before the young man, taking his hand into his own two as he looked up with a gentleness in his eyes.

“I wish to apologize to you… For my outburst against you and for the fear I incited within you. It was heartless of me to reject you without a second thought, and for that I wish for your forgiveness. I promise to never let you feel shut out by me – to feel as if you have to handle your endeavors alone.” He squeezed the other man’s hand tighter, bringing it to his lips before he kissed the back of it with a chaste kiss. “You may not wish to accept my apology, but please know that I am sorry, from the bottom of my heart.”

Silence was given in response to Ravus’s words.

“…Why are you not saying anything?” Ravus’s eyebrows furrowed before he turned to look up at you. “Why is he not responding? Why are you concealing your face with your hands?”

You croaked out a groan in response.  _“Because that’s not my neighbor.”_

Ravus paused, eyes flashing violet for a split second as he looked up at the blond. He seemed to analyze the young man before him longer than anticipated to come to the realization that perhaps this wasn’t your neighbor. But both were blond, right? Both had blue eyes? Both were skinny and freckled? He always saw this young man retrieving the newspaper from the driveway, collect the mail from the box, return home with an arm full of groceries and other items. He was certain this was your neighbor.

…Right?


End file.
